1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a door basket for a refrigerator which is installed on a rear surface of a door to store foods therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a door basket for a refrigerator according to a prior art.
As shown in the figures, a pair of projections 14 are formed along the vertical direction at both sides of a door liner 12 which defines a rear surface of a door 10 for the refrigerator. A plurality of supporting shelves 16, 17, and 18 are formed to extend from side to side between the projections 14 and provided at predetermined intervals. At least a pair of holders 22 are installed on inner side surfaces of the projections 14, respectively. The holders 22 for installing a door basket 30, which will be described bellow, are installed so that lower surfaces thereof are supported on upper surfaces of the supporting shelves 17 and 18. Lower edges of inner side surfaces of the holders 22 are formed with hinge holes 24 flush with each other, respectively.
The respective door baskets 30 are installed between the inner side surfaces of the holders 22. The door basket 30 for accommodating foods, which is formed substantially in a hexahedron extending from side to side, is provided with an accommodation space 32 which is formed by arranging a plurality of wires with a certain diameter at predetermined intervals and the upper surface of which is opened.
In the meantime, both side surfaces of a lower end of the door basket 30 are formed with hinge projections 34 which are inserted into the hinge holes 24, respectively. Thus, with the hinge projections 34 being inserted into the hinge holes 24, the door basket 30 is installed so that a lower surface thereof is supported on the upper surface of the supporting shelf 18.
In the accommodation space 32 of the door basket 30 so constructed, a variety of foods are accommodated. With the foods being accommodated in the accommodation space 32, the lower surface of the door basket 30 is supported on the upper surface of the supporting shelf 18. When the foods are taken in and out of the door basket 30, if the door basket 30 pivots forward (i.e., counterclockwise in FIG. 2) about the hinge projections 34 inserted into the hinge holes 24, it is easy to take the foods in and out of the door basket.
However, the door basket of the refrigerator according to the prior art as described above has the following problems.
As described above, since the door basket 30 is formed by knitting the plurality of the wires, the above door basket 30 is manufactured with increased cost as compared with ones manufactured by other methods such as injection molding.
In addition, since the door basket 30 consists of the plurality of the wires, the accommodation space 32 communicates with the outside through gaps between the wires. Therefore, the foods or parts thereof accommodated in the accommodation space 32 are projected through such gaps and bump against a portion of the holders 22 in a pivoting process of the door basket 30, which may hinder the door basket 30 from pivoting.
Further, in order to install the door basket 30, the door basket 30 should be installed between the holders 22 after fixing the holders 22 to the projections 14 of the door liner 12. That is, since the door basket 30 should be installed to the holders 22 in a narrow space between the inner side surfaces of the projections 14, it is not easy to assemble the door basket 30 to the door liner 12.
Furthermore, since the door basket 30 is installed to the projections 14, i.e., the holders 22 fixed to the projections 14 of both the sides of the door liner 12, it is not easy to adjust a height of the door basket 30.